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FAQ

Using Historians of the Ottoman Empire

What does Historians of the Ottoman Empire offer that was not already available through sources such as the Encyclopaedia of Islam?

This database, besides offering a homogeneous format and a systematic coverage of Ottoman historians, will offer much more detailed information about these authors than is found in typical encyclopaedic articles, as well as information about the contents and the historiographical significance of their works. Furthermore, we expect that, for most of the works covered, this database will contain the most complete and up-to-date and accurate list of manuscripts available anywhere.

Why limit the database to historians?

While we are fully aware that the primary source material used by scholars today covers a wide range of genres, practical considerations demanded that we limit the scope of this project. In its current version, the project is planned to be completed in three years.

How do you define a “historian” or a “history”?

We keep our definition of a “historian” as broad as possible. Not only those who wrote Ottoman history are included in this definition. For example, we also regard prophet biographies as “history” works. Only those works written with an intention to be fully a piece of literature are excluded.

How do you define an “Ottoman” author? Does that include foreigners having temporarily lived in the Empire?

For our purposes, “Ottoman” means “having been an Ottoman subject at least for a part of one’s life”. This will for example exclude travelers. Please refer to the sections on the scope of the project and language issues as well.

Where and when is the Ottoman Empire?

Different places, different times. Thus we include works written in Cairo after 1517, in Athens up to 1830, and in Istanbul until 1923.

What if the life of a historian spans both Ottoman and post-Ottoman times?

In such a case only those of the historian’s works produced during the Ottoman Empire will be analyzed in detail. Thus for example there will be a discussion of Mehmed Fuat Köprülü’s Türk Edebiyatında İlk Mutasavvıflar (1918), but not of his Origines de l’Empire Ottoman (1935).

Can I cut parts of an article from Historians of the Ottoman Empire, paste it into my own work, and pretend I wrote it myself?

Of course not. The contents of the database are protected by copyright laws in the same way as printed material. Besides this purely legal aspect, plagiarizing a project that involves many of the most recognized scholars in the field is the surest way to ruin one’s academic reputation. Proper citation pays.

Can I add a link to Historians of the Ottoman Empire on my own web page?

Of course. Don’t forget to let us know! Contact us if you needed to use our logo.

I am having trouble displaying the Turkish fonts/characters. How do I correct the problem?

Please visit the following website regarding the use of Turkish fonts on the web - available here.

Contributing to Historians of the Ottoman Empire

Do you accept submissions from independent scholars and other non-professional historians?

Once the project publishes its list of unassigned entries, all applications will be considered. However the editorial board will expect the same degree of scholarly excellence from all contributors, and absence of an alternative submission for a given article will NOT entail the acceptance of a lesser-quality application. In other words, we prefer to be temporarily non-exhaustive rather than permanently plagued by lower scholarly standards.

I have been invited to contribute an article to the database, but I do not feel confident writing in English. Can I submit my text in another language?

We accept articles written only in English and Turkish, simply because this database is bilingually designed. Proofreaders in both languages will standardize the language of the articles according to the guidelines of the project.

Can I include an article I wrote for the Historians of the Ottoman Empire, and which was published on your web page, in my CV as a ‘published article’ ?

An article, accepted and posted to the web site of Historians of the Ottoman Empire, is as good as a published article in any encyclopaedia. Any new finding, or any original idea will be credited to you after the day it was posted on the web page. The bottom line: The articles published here will be no different from the articles in --say-- Encyclopaedia of Islam in terms of academic procedure.

How will the dates of the articles be determined so that I can claim original data that I discovered ?

After the articles are accepted for publication by the editors and posted on the web page, they will bear the posting date under them. This date will be their ‘publication date’.

May I submit an earlier article of mine to Historians of the Ottoman Empire?

In principal, this is possible. The editors should approve it, and they might want you to change the format according to the project guidelines, and update the content.

What happens if somebody uses original information that I discovered and wrote about for the Historians of the Ottoman Empire without crediting me? Information on the web is sometimes seen as ‘public property’.

To use original information posted on the web site of Historians of the Ottoman Empire without giving the proper credit is no different from plagiarizing from a published book. We are aware that people are not familiar enough with considering the world wide web as a source to which credit has to be given. But, because Historians of the Ottoman Empire is an academic undertaking which contains abundant original data, it is plagiarism not to give the proper credits.

What happens if I want to correct data that I included in an article which is already posted on the web page?

You may correct it with the approval of the editors.

If I have information, for example, on an unknown manuscript which is not included in an article written by another colleague and posted on the web page, or if I realize that false information is included, what should I do?

Please contact the editors. The editors, after corresponding with the author of the article, and getting her/his approval, will correct or add the data to the article. An acknowledgement will be made to the person who made the suggestion.

The Future of Historians of the Ottoman Empire

Once posted, will the articles be permanent or is this a ‘work in progress’?

In the beta version, articles will still be subject to improvement and modification.